You’ve seen and read the articles before; BMW drivers are the most aggressive, BMW drivers are jerks, and BMW drivers are among the most hated on the road. We now have a new accolade to add to this illustrious list, and that is BMW drivers being the rudest on the road. It’s according to a study performed by Insurify, a website specialized in comparing auto insurance quotes between various carriers.
The study methodology looked at vehicle models with drivers most likely to cited for violations such as tailgating, passing where prohibited, improper backing up, failure to stop, failure to yield, street racing, and hit-and-run. Drivers of two BMW major BMW model groups topped the list, and these were the 4 Series and the 7 Series. The Audi A5 claimed third, so BMW isn’t alone in being a German automaker at the top, but the remainder of the leading ten vehicles was rounded out by Japanese and Korean models, with the exception of the Audi A4 in tenth place.
Breaking things down a bit more, the national average of rude drivers per 1,000 motorists is approximately 25 according to Insurify, but for the 4 Series and the 7 Series, it’s nearly double that, at approximately 60. This means you’re more than twice as likely to encounter a rude driver of one of these vehicles when you’re behind the wheel. As noted above, and perhaps rather interestingly, the other vehicles which made the top ten include the Subaru WRX, which was ranked fourth, followed by the Toyota Celica, which hasn’t been sold new since the 2006 model year, a pair of Acura models, the Hyundai Veloster (the Veloster N is a highly-acclaimed hot hatch) and, oddly enough, the Honda Element, was is the only thing resembling an SUV or crossover to rank.
What does it mean for the avid BMW appreciator, driver, and owner? Even though many of us as BMW CCA members consider it our duty to lead by example in as many cases as possible, something that is aided by our nationwide availability of driving programs, it remains crystal clear that few of us would be driving these cars to begin with if they didn’t possess certain characteristics. However good you may be at resisting the occasional urge to experience what your BMW was made to do doesn’t matter, because the reputation of BMW drivers seems to precede us all. This may very well explain why the reaction to a BMW flashing its lights to a slow vehicle ahead of it in the fast lane may be greatly amplified if, instead the vehicle attempting to pass were a Volvo, for example.
The Insurify study is pretty cut and dry, with egregious offenses qualifying the vehicle models which ranked, but the rude reputation associated with BMW drivers is still something we should all keep in mind, as it tends to predispose other drivers to getting angry, no matter how good we are about minding our own business, and staying in our own lane.—Alex Tock
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]